Enrollment
273
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Salida, CA
Salida Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Salida Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063390010694
👥 S:T ratio 16
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Salida Elementary earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #2 of 3
- elementary schools in Salida · Resource Index
- 23
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21:1
- students per teacher
- 76.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Salida Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Salida Elementary ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Salida, CA.
School address
District: Salida Union Elementary · California
NCES ID 063390010694 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
+37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salida Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Salida Elementary
Salida Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Salida, California, enrolling 273 students.
At 21:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 76.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 273 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,029 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #711.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (80%) and White (10%) (diversity index 35/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 273 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Salida's elementary schools, it stands alongside Dena Boer (444 students): Salida Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21:1 vs 20.2:1).
Salida Union Elementary also operates Salida Middle School - Vella Campus (673 students) and Dena Boer (444 students) alongside Salida Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Salida Elementary compares
Salida Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21:1 | ▼ 2% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.0% | ▲ 37% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 273 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
273
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
76.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 43% in California - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
44.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,223
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 273 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 79.9%
White 10.3%
Asian 5.5%
Two or More 2.2%
African American 1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 79.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.7, Salida Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Salida Union Elementary, which includes Salida Elementary.
$16,223
Per student
-2%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.3%
State 66.3%
Federal 13.3%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Salida Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salida Middle School - Vella Campus | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dena Boer | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mildred Perkins Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sisk Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Salida Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 673
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 444
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 362
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 286
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar elementary schools in Salida
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~273 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Salida Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Salida Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Salida Union Elementary's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Salida Elementary
How many students attend Salida Elementary?
Salida Elementary has 273 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Salida, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salida Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Salida Elementary is 21:1, which is 2% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 34% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Salida Elementary?
76.0% of students at Salida Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salida Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Salida Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 79.9% of enrollment, in Salida, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salida Elementary?
Salida Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Salida Elementary rank among elementary schools in Salida?
By Resource Investment Index, Salida Elementary ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Salida, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Salida on the city page.
Is Salida Elementary a good school?
Salida Elementary earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Salida Union Elementary?
Besides Salida Elementary, Salida Union Elementary also operates Salida Middle School - Vella Campus (673 students), Dena Boer (444 students), and Mildred Perkins Elementary (362 students). See the Salida Union Elementary district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.